Diaz a Rising Star

Rudy Rodriguez-Chomat

01/10/2005

He's smooth as silk when on the court, but not very well known when it comes to national acclaim. However, that is bound to change. With the Miami Hurricanes starting ACC play, Guillermo Diaz has already made a splash on the league and two of its best teams.

When the ‘Canes faced Georgia Tech on Wednesday, it was Diaz who single-handedly kept them in the game scoring 27 points on 9-of-18 shooting while making some breathtaking plays that had the McDonald's Center crowd picking their jaws off the floor.

He drew raving reviews from the television broadcast including that of former NBA center Mike Gminski.

The 27 points tied his career high that he set earlier this season.

Diaz was only matched up against two of the best guards in the nation, in Jarrett Jack and Will Bynum, while posting great numbers.

With the ‘Canes facing North Carolina State, the team that finished second in the ACC last season, Diaz followed suit with a 26-point performance, leading all scorers, on 9-of-17 shooting and 5-of-9 shooting from three-point range.

This came AFTER he was held scoreless through the first 11 minutes of the game and missed his first four field goal attempts.

But with the ‘Canes trailing 29-17 with 6:26 to play in the first half, Diaz awoke from his slumber and scored the ‘Canes' next eight points cutting the lead to four. That sparked a 12-0 run that saw Miami tie the game at 29 with 3:09 to play in the half.

"I had to be more aggressive," Diaz said. "I couldn't let my team down."

The ‘Canes fell behind by three with 14 seconds to play, but Diaz struck again with a 28-footer at the buzzer to tie the game at 34.

After not scoring a point for over 11 minutes, Diaz finished the half with 12 points and five rebounds.

He made more noise in the second half controlling the game with some sweet shooting from the outside.

But the most impressive part of his game was every time Miami needed a big shot, it was Diaz who took it and hit it.

Down 61-57 with 4:03 with to play, Diaz drilled a three from the corner to cut the lead to one.

On the next possession, Diaz found Anthony King for what turned into a huge three-point play that gave Miami a 63-61 lead, one it would never relinquish.

Having faced two of the ACC's best teams, it only makes you wonder what to expect next. The ‘Canes travel to Virginia on Wednesday, then welcome Florida State on Saturday and Duke on January 19 before heading to Chapel Hill on the 22nd.

And if they don't know about Diaz, they better open their eyes because if they don't, he'll fly right by them.